CARLITO'S WAY (1993), directed by Brian DePalma, is a true modern day gangster masterpiece! I have loved this film ever since I first saw it back in the 90s. It's one of those movies that I would watch over and over again. Even today, I am amazed at how much this film holds up. In a lot of ways, CARLITO'S WAY is one of the most involving of all gangster films because it allows the viewer to get into the thought process of the protagonist Carlito Brigante (played by the great Al Pacino in a vastly underrated performance) through his narration of the tale. Pacino is so convincing and persuasive in the role that the viewer literally feels as if we are going through this character's journey to redemption along with him.
In 1975, released 5 years into a 30-year prison sentence, aging, world-weary Carlito Brigante (Pacino), a former New York drug lord of Puerto Rican descent, is determined to go straight and leave his past mistakes and sins behind him. His goal is to make enough money to escape his former life and start a legitimate business in the Bahamas. But along the way, he runs into some of his former colleagues as well as new threats that want to "pull him back in" and finds that it will be more difficult than he imagined.
One of the threats turns out ironically to be Carlito's lawyer David Kleinfeld (Sean Penn in a brilliant, Oscar-caliber performance) who manipulated his release from prison on a technicality. While Carlito's story goes in one direction (redemption), Kleinfeld's story goes the opposite as he, on the surface looks clean cut, is shown to really be a coke addict and mob attorney that has stolen a million dollars from one of his clients. The two men's stories work as a superb contrast against one another, but also intersect as Carlito's inability to completely escape his street life and instincts and his blind dedication to Kleinfeld eventually lead to his downfall.
During his path to redemption, Carlito seeks out his former lover Gail (beautiful Penelope Ann Miller in a heartbreaking, sensuous performance), a dancer who works a dead end job at a strip club, but has goals of her own. Carlito convinces Gail that they can start anew and escape their past to have a bright future.
In addition to Penn and Miller, the superb supporting cast includes John Leguiziamo (convincing as up and coming thug Benny Blanco who idolizes Carlito), Luiz Guzman (funny as Carlito's right hand man Pachanga), Viggo Mortensen (memorable cameo as Carlito's former gangster colleague and now wheelchair-bound Lalin), Adrian Pasdar (as the son of one of Kleinfeld's mob clients), Ingrid Rogers (as entertainer in Carlito's club), and James Rebhorn (as the district attorney out to nail Kleinfeld). This is one of the rare epic films where I felt that all the supporting cast were perfectly cast and there are no extraneous characters that gum up the works!
Pacino essays one of his more complex roles and works in perfect synergy with his supporting cast throughout. But in addition to Pacino's strong performance (which includes his pitch perfect narration), it is DePalma's tight, focused direction that is also a major reason this film holds up so well this many years later. The period detail of the mid 1970s is authentic, yet the film isn't "lost" in the 70s. That is, DePalma doesn't overdo it with the hairstyles, clothes, etc; the club music is an eclectic choice of good 70s songs (mostly Hispanic obviously) that help set the tone and mood of the club scenes without devolving into parody. And it is such a character-driven story that you almost don't care when it takes place! The cinematography is top notch and about as good as any I've seen in a major film in the modern era. The sad, tragic score works well also as it complements the tragedy of Carlito. The great closing sequence is about as good as one will ever see in any movie: a perfect mix of action, pacing, shots, drama, and music.
I have the dvd as part of my collection and whether you are a "movie" lover or a "film" lover, either way, CARLITO'S WAY has got you covered!Get more detail about Carlito's Way [Blu-ray].
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